Senior military officials are concerned that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is blocking the promotions of four Army officers because of their race or gender, according to a new report.
President Donald Trump's defense secretary has been pushing Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll and other senior Army leaders to remove the names of the officers, two of whom are Black and another two women, from a promotion list of about three dozen officers, most of whom are white men, senior military officials told the New York Times.
"Earlier this month, Mr. Hegseth broke the logjam by unilaterally striking the officers’ names from the list, though it is not clear he has the legal authority to do so," the Times reported. "The list is currently being reviewed by the White House, which is expected to send it to the Senate for final approval. A few female and Black officers remain on the list, military officials said."
"It is exceedingly rare that a one-star list draws such intense scrutiny from a defense secretary," the report added. "The battle highlights the bitter rifts opened by Mr. Hegseth’s campaign to reverse policies that he says are prejudiced against white officers."
Hegseth has pledged to change "woke" policies from previous administrations, but his heavy scrutiny of female and minority officers has eroded confidence that the promotion system is based on merit and distanced from politics, and the frustration with his approach sparked a heated exchange between his chief of staff Ricky Buria and Driscoll, the Army secretary.
"Mr. Buria chastised the Army secretary for selecting Maj. Gen. Antoinette R. Gant, a combat engineer who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, to take command of the Military District of Washington," the Times reported, based on accounts from three current and former defense and administration officials. "The command provides security and performs ceremonial duties in the nation’s capital, and its commander often appears alongside the president at Arlington National Cemetery."
"Mr. Buria told Mr. Driscoll that President Trump would not want to stand next to a Black female officer at military events," the report added, based on the officials' account.
Driscoll was shocked by his statement and insisted "the president is not a racist or sexist," the officials said, and he then raised the issue with a senior White House official who agreed with him about Trump. Hegseth's office eventually backed down and Gant began serving as the district commander last summer, and was promoted to two-star rank earlier this month.
"Senior officials in Mr. Hegseth’s office have been debating for months whether Mr. Hegseth has the legal authority to strike names from a one-star list before he sends it to the White House," military officials told the Times. "In his role as defense secretary, Mr. Hegseth is supposed to review and approve the list. But to protect the military’s officer corps from being politicized, he has only two options under military regulations, officials said. He can reject or accept the entire list."